The weight in the pit of my stomach begged to differ. I knew this feeling. Death had paid this place a visit in recent hours. From now on, I would pay attention to this sensation when it came knocking.
Impatient, I reached past the ice in my chest and withdrew a small sliver of my own arcana. Of course, the ritual arcana made a grasp for it, but I shoved my power into my voice before the curse could take ahold of it.
“If you’re here, show yourself.” It was a simple command, one that could be followed easily at least once.
When no one stepped out, I gestured for Ryder to proceed. We were the only people here who could hear. That much we knew. The brothers had used earplugs before. Alvin could have done the same, but something about his slow descent made me doubt he had the presence of mind to remember them.
Alvin might have big plans, but he was consumed by them. I wrapped my arms around myself and took comfort in the fact that we could trust our enemy to be unhinged. How wonderful.
We found Catriona in the kitchen. She sat at the table, her hands flat on the surface. At first, it looked as though she were simply staring off into space. The longer I looked, the more obvious it became.
This wasn’t like Candi’s death. Candi’s murder had been brutal, a display of rage at being betrayed by a loved one. She’d taken her ring off. I guessed she’d decided enough was enough, but Alvin couldn’t bear to lose anything else. This murder, however, was purely practical. The odd lump in Catriona’s neck gave away the injury that her shifter healing would never repair.
Reflexively, my own hand went to my throat. I could almost feel my own neck snapping all over again. I’d come back from that. Catriona never would.
“Janessa isn’t going to take this well,” I whispered.
Janessa had already lost her mother to Alvin’s wrath. Now, she’d lost her aunt, too.
Through the guilt and shame, I remembered why Catriona had called me. Fumbling forward, I reached for Catriona’s pockets. I patted her body down in search of those pages she’d promised me. Frantic, I double checked pockets I’d already emptied, convinced that I’d missed something.
When I found nothing on Catriona’s body, I ran to the trash bin and shook it to see if there was any paper there. I found nothing among the crumpled receipts and takeout wrappers. Frustrated, I tossed it back down and bent to check under the table.
“Ness,” Ryder said softly. “I know what you’re looking for. Do you really think Alvin would have left it behind?”
Crouched, I paused and pouted. The urge to lie down and press my cheek to the cold tile floor nearly won out. Somehow, I managed to stay on my feet. “No. I just…hoped that Catriona’s actions hadn’t been in vain. You know?”
Ryder extended his hand down and helped me back up. Before I could go anywhere, he pulled me into his chest.
What would I do without my rock? Ryder had been my safe space since he’d arrived. The electricity in him answered to the growing storm inside myself. I was sure that if I stepped outside and shifted, my storm would drop thick balls of hail instead of rain.
I’d wanted to chill the ice in my chest so that it would protect my arcana, but I didn’t want to be this numb. The frigid cold sitting in my heart threatened to shatter me. It made me brittle and stiff.
All the excitement I’d felt over my newfound mate bond had bled away. I couldn’t summon that heat again, and I hated the part of myself that selfishly wanted it back when I knew that I should have been mourning the dead packmate in the kitchen.
Ryder said he needed to make a call, stepped back, and opened the back door. Immediately, Alvin’s scent wafted in as if he’d been right outside the door. My eyes widened. I looked to Ryder.
Wordless, we both rushed outside. A familiar dark silhouette leapt over the back fence and disappeared. Ryder rushed forward, but I backpedaled inside. I cast one wary look over at Catriona, still staring into the nothing, and offered a promise of vengeance.
As soon as the words left my mouth, my hound rushed forward. She poured out of me as if she’d always been in this form. I hit the ground running. In no time, I caught up to Ryder.
The sky overhead gave an ominous rumble that echoed the growl tearing from my muzzle. The slam of my feet against the ground almost satisfied the anger seething in my chest. I needed to dig my claws into something, though. I wanted to feel flesh tear and watch blood spill.
It was a vengeance long overdue. The righteous knowledge that Alvin’s time had come fueled me. It propelled me forward and allowed me to overtake Ryder.